New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones

A customer makes a purchase with a MasterCard using Apple Pay on the iPhone 6.
AP
New York City's finance department is looking into new methods of payment for parking tickets that include Apple Pay, Bitcoin, and PayPal transactions, MarketWatch reports.

There's no timeline for when such a system would actually launch, and no set plans have been made.

However, according to MarketWatch, the city envisions a payment method that would allow New Yorkers to snap a photo of their tickets or scan a barcode on a ticket to initiate a payment transaction.

As it stands, drivers can currently pay their tickets online, in person, or through the mail, but the online payment system in place isn't mobile friendly. The idea is to create a mobile system that's "aesthetically pleasing," the report says.

Offering New York City drivers the option to pay through their phone may cut down on late fees and penalties on unpaid violations, too. The city accumulates up to $600 million in these types of fines each year, according to MarketWatch.

Apple Pay, the company's first mobile payments platform, seems to be catching on fairly quickly. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that "dozens" of additional banks, retail stores, and start-ups have agreed to adopt Apple Pay. In October, Apple said it had already partnered with 220,000 retailers that would adopt its mobile payments system. It's even coming to gas pumps.